E 74 
03 M3 



DESCRIPTIO N 



ANCIENT SEPULCHRAL MOUND 



NEAR NEWARK, OHIO. 



O. C. MARSH, F.G.S. 



4- 



Class 

Book(V^H"5 



[Fbom the American Journ. of Science and Arts, Vol. XLII, July, 1866.] 



DESCRIPTION 



OF AN 



ANCIENT SEPULCHRAL MOUND 



NEAR NEWARK, OHIO. 



BY 

0. C, MARSH, F.G.S, 1 



In the first volume of the Smithsonian Contributions Messrs. 
Squier and Davis have ably described the most important of 
those ancient monuments of the Mississippi Valley, which ren- 
der that region so interesting to the student of American 
archaeology. By discarding vague speculation, which had 
been the prominent fault of most previous investigators, and 
adopting that rigid method of research, inaugurated so success- 
fully by Scandinavian antiquaries, these authors were enabled 
to embody in their work all that was valuable in previous 
accounts, and to add much new and important information con- 
cerning that ancient population of this country, who have left 
behind them so many imposing structures. The subsequent 
researches of Squier, Latham, and others, have thrown additional 
light upon this interesting subject, so that at the present time 
the "Mound-builders" can no longer be regarded as an unknown 
people, although both tradition and history are silent in regard 
to them. 

Few of these ancient monuments of the "West have attracted 
more attention than the group of 'Enclosures,' or 'Forts,' near 
Newark, Ohio, which have long been celebrated on account of 
their great extent, and remarkable regularity. They consist 
mainly of elaborate earthworks, in the form of a circle, octagon, 
and square, and enclose an area of about four square miles, on 

1 Read before the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, Feb. 21, 1866. 



2 



Description of an Ancient Sepulchral Mound. 



the upper terrace between two branches of the Licking Eiver. 
They were well described by Atwater, in 1820, who regarded 
them as works of defense ; 3 and subsequently by Squier and 
Davis, who, however, considered them sacred enclosures. 3 
Scattered over the same plain, and crowning the neighboring 
hills, are numerous tumuli, or mounds, evidently erected by the 
same people that built the larger works. 

While on a geological excursion through the West, during the 
last autumn, the writer spent several days at Newark, examining 
these various monuments in company with George P. Russell, 
Esq., of Salem, Mass., who is well versed in everything relat- 
ing to American antiquities. In the course of our investiga- 
tions a sepulchral mound was opened, which proved to be in 
many respects the most interesting one of the kind yet examined. 
Mounds of this class received from Squier and Davis much less 
attention than the smaller "Alter Mounds," as the latter usually 
contain more relics of ancient art. These authors, moreover, 
examined none of those belonging to the Newark group of 
works, although the mounds in that vicinity appear to present 
some points of difference from those of other localities. For 
these reasons a more detailed account of our explorations will 
be given than would otherwise be necessary. The mound 
selected for examination was about two and a half miles south 
of Newark, on the farm of Mr Thomas Taylor, and was known 
in the neighborhood as the "Taylor Mound." It was conical in 
form, about ten feet in height, and eighty in diameter at the 
base, these being about the average dimensions of the burial 
mounds in that vicinity. It was situated on the summit of a 
ridge, in the midst of a stately forest. On the mound itself 
several oak trees, two and a half to three feet in diameter, were 
growing, and near them Were stumps of others, evidently of 
greater age. The mound stood qnite alone, nearly half a mile 
from its nearest neighbor^ and about three miles from the large 
earthworks already mentioned. In our explorations we were 
greatly assisted by Dr. J. N. Wilson, and Messrs. Dennis and 
Shrock, of Newark, and Charles W. Chandler, Esq., of Zanes- 
ville, who are all much interested in the local antiquities of that 
region. 

An excavation about eight feet in diameter was first made 
from the apex of the mound, and after the surface soil was re- 
moved the earth was found to be remarkably compact, probably 
owing to its having been firmly trodden down when deposited. 
This earth w r as a light loam, quite different from the soil of the 
ridge itself, and its peculiar mottled appearance indicated that it 
had been brought to the spot in small quantities. In excavating 

2 Transactions American Antiquarian Soc, vol. i, p. 126. 

3 Smithsonian Contributions, vol. i, p. 67. 



Description of an Ancient SepulcJiral Mound. 3 



the first five feet, which was a slow and very laborious under- 
taking, nothing worthy, of notice was observed except some 
traces of ashes, and pieces of charcoal and flint, scattered about 
at various depths. At rive and a half feet below the surface, 
where the earth became less difficult to remove, a broken stone 
pipe was found, which had evidently been long in use. It was 
made of a very soft limestone containing fragments of small 
fossil shells, apparently Cretaceous species. No rock of precisely 
this kind is known to exist in Ohio. Pieces of a tube of the 
same material, and about an inch in diameter, were found near 
the pipe. The cavity was about two-thirds of an inch in diam- 
eter, and had been bored out with great regularity. Similar 
tubes have occasionally been found in mounds, but their use is 
not definitely known. 

About seven feet from the top of the mound a thin white 
layer was observed, which extended over a horizontal surface 
of several square yards. Near the center of this space, and 
directly under the apex of the mound, a string of more than 
one hundred beads of native copper was found, and with it 
a few small bones of a child, about three years of age. The 
beads were strung on a twisted cord of coarse vegetable fibre, 
apparently the inner bark of a tree, and this had been pre- 
served by salts of the copper, the antiseptic properties of which 
are well known. The position of the beads showed clearly 
that they had been wound two or three times around the neck 
of the child; and the bones themselves, (the neural arches 
of the cervical vertebra?, a clavicle, and a first rib), were pre* 
cisely those which the beads would naturally come in contact 
with, when decomposition of the body ensued. The remains 
evidently owe their preservation to this fact, as they are all 
colored with carbonate of copper, and the other parts of the 
skeleton had entirely decayed. The position the body had oc- 
cupied, however, was still clearly indicated by the darker color 
of the earth. The beads were about one-fourth of an inch 
long, and one-third in diameter, and no little skill had been 
displayed in their construction. They were evidently made, 
without the aid of fire, by hammering the metal in its original 
state; but the joints were so neatly fitted that in most cases it 
was very difficult to detect them. On the same cord, and 
.arranged at regular intervals, were five shell beads, of the same 
diameter, but about twice as long as those of copper. All had 
apparently been well polished, and the necklace, when worn, 
must have formed a tasteful and striking ornament. 4 

* Native copper seems to have been the favorite material for ornaments among 
the mound-builders. The metal was, without doubt, derived originally from the 
Lake Superior deposits, although it may have been found in the drift. It was 
more probably taken directly from the deposits themselves, as they exhibit abund- 
ant evidence of ancient mining operations, which no one familiar with such matters 
would attribute to the more recent Indians, 



4 



Description of an Ancient Sepulchral Mound. 



About a foot below the remains just described, and a little 
east of the center of the mound, were two adult human skele- 
tons, lying one above the other, and remarkably well preserved. 
The interment had evidently been performed with great care. 
The heads were toward the east, slightly higher than the feet, 
and the arms were carefully composed at the sides. A white 
stratum, similar in every respect to the one already mentioned, 
was here very distinct, and extended horizontally over a space 
of five or six yards, in the center of which the remains had 
been laid. The earth separated readily through this stratum, 
and an examination of the exposed surfaces showed that they 
were formed from two decayed layers of bark, on one of which 
the bodies had been placed, and the other covered over them. 
The smooth sides of the bark had thus come together, and the 
decomposition of the inner layers had produced the peculiar 
white substance, as a subsequent microscopic examination clearly 
indicated. 6 Directly above these skeletons was a layer of red- 
dish earth, apparently a mixture of ashes and burned clay, 
which covered a surface of about a square yard. Near the 
middle of this space was a small pile of charred human bones, 
the remains of a skeleton which had been burned immediately 
over those just described. The fire had evidently been continued 
for some time, and then allowed to go out; when the fragments 
of bone and cinders that remained were scraped together, and 
covered with earth. All the bones were in small pieces, and 
most of them distorted by heat; but among them were found 
the lower extremity of a humerus, and some fragments of a 
fibula, which showed them to be human, and indicated an adult 
rather below the medium size. The two skeletons found beneath 
these remains were well formed, and of opposite sex. The 
ossification of the bones indicated that the female was about 
thirty years of age, and the male somewhat older. It is not im- 
possible that these were husband and wife — the latter put to 
death and buried above the remains of her consort; and the 
charred bones may have been those of a human sacrifice, slain 
at the funeral ceremonies. 6 Near these skeletons was a small 
quantity of reddish brown powder, which proved on examina- 
tion to be hematite. It was probably used as a paint. 7 

5 This white layer, which was thought by Squier and Davis to be the remains of 
matting, is a characteristic feature in burial mounds. It has only been found where 
the interments were unquestionably those of mound builders. 

6 Among the ancient Mexicans and Peruvians, when a ruler or other person of 
high rank died, his wives and domestics were often put to death at the tomb, and 
in some instances the remains were burned. 

7 A larger quantity of the same substance was found in another mound near 
Newark. May not the "iron rust" discovered in the mound at Marietta, and re- 
garded by some as proof that the mound-builders were acquainted with that metal, 
have been merely this substance ? Implements of hematite were, indeed, found in 
the same mound. — Transactions American Antiquarian Soc, vol. i, p. 168. 



Description of an Ancient Sepulchral Mound. 



5 



On continuing our excavations about a foot lower, and some- 
what more to the eastward, a second pile of charred human 
bones was found resting on a layer of ashes, charcoal and burned 
clay. But one or two fragments of these remains could be 
identified as human, and these also indicated a small-sized adult. 
The incremation had apparently been performed in the same 
manner as in the previous instance. Immediately beneath the 
clay deposit a third white layer was observed, quite similar to 
that just described. In this layer was a male skeleton, not in 
so good a state of preservation as those already mentioned, 
although evidently belonging to an individual considerably 
older. In this case also the head was toward the east, and the 
burial had been carefully performed. Near this skeleton about 
a pint of white chaff was found, which appeared to belong to 
some of the native grasses. The form was still quite distinct, 
although nearly all the organic substance had disappeared. A 
few inches deeper, near the surface of the natural earth, several 
skeletons of various ages were met with, which had evidently 
been buried in a hurried manner. All were nearly or quite 
horizontal, but no layer of bark had been spread for their recep- 
tion, and no care taken in regard to arrangement of limbs. These 
skeletons were in a tolerable state of preservation, some parts 
being quite perfect. A tibia and fibula, with most of the cor- 
responding bones of a foot, were found quite by themselves, and 
well preserved. 

Our excavations had now reached the original surface of the 
ridge, on which the mound was erected, and we were about to 
discontinue further researches, when the dark color of the earth 
at one point attracted attention, and an examination soon showed 
that a cist, or grave, had first been excavated in the soil, before 
the mound itself was commenced. This grave was under the 
eastern part of the elevation, about four feet from the center. 
It consisted of a simple excavation, in an east and west direc- 
tion, about six feet long, three wide, and nearly two deep. In 
this grave were found parts of at least eight skeletons, which 
had evidently been thrown in carelessly, — most of them soon 
after death, but one or two not until the bones had become de- 
tached and weathered. Some of the bones were very well pre- 
served, and indicated individuals of various ages. Two infants, 
about a year and eighteen months old respectively, were each 
represented by a single os illium, and bones of several other 
small children were found. One skull, apparently that of a boy 
about twelve years of age, was recovered in fragments, and this 
was the best preserved of any obtained in the mound. The 
skeleton of an aged woman of small stature was found resting 
on its side. It was bent together, and lay across the grave with 
its head towards the north. Some of the loose, human bones, 



Q 



Description of an Ancient Sepulchral Mound. 



exhumed from the bottom of the grave, were evidently imper- 
fect when thrown in. Among these was part of a large femur, 
which had been gnawed by some carnivorous animal. The 
marks of the teeth were sharply defined, and corresponded to 
those made by a dog or a wolf. 

Quite a number of implements of various kinds were found 
with the human remains in this grave. Near its eastern end, 
where the detached bones had been buried, were nine lance and 
arrow-heads, nearly all of the same form, and somewhat rudely 
made of flint and chert. The material was probably obtained 
from "Flint ridge," a siliceous deposit of Carboniferous age, which 
crops out a few miles distant. These weapons are of peculiar 
interest, as it appears they are the first that have been discovered 
in a sepulchral mound, although many such have been carefully 
examined. 8 They show that the custom — so common among the 
Indians of this country — of burying with the dead their imple- 
ments of war or the chase, obtained occasionally, at least, among 
the mound-builders. Not far from these weapons six small 
hand-axes were found, one of which was made of hematite, 
and the rest of compact greenstone, or diorite, the material often 
used by the Indians for similar articles. Two of these corres- 
ponded closely in form with the stone hand-axe figured by 
Squier and Davis as the only one then known from the mounds. 9 
With these axes were found a small hatchet of hematite, a flint 
chisel, and a peculiar flint instrument, apparently used for scrap- 
ing wood. 

In the central part of the grave, near the aged female skeleton 
already alluded to, were a large number of bone implements, all 
exceedingly well preserved. Among these were five needles, or 
bodkins, from three to six inches in length, neatly made from 
the metatarsal bones of the common deer ; and also a spatula, 
cut from an ulna, and probably used for moulding pottery. 
"With these were found about a dozen peculiar implements 
formed from the antlers of the deer and elk. They are cylin- 
drical in form, from three to eight inches in length, and an inch 
to an inch and a half in diameter. Most of these had both 
ends somewhat rounded, and perfectly smooth, as if they had 
either been long in use, or carefully polished. It is possible 
these implements were used for smoothing down the seams of 
skins or leather: they would, at least, be well adapted to such a 
purpose. A " whistle," made from a tooth of a young black 
bear, and several "spoons," cut out of the shells of river mus- 
sels, were also obtained near the same spot. 

A vessel of coarse pottery was found near the western end of 
the grave, but, unfortunately, was broken in removing it. It 

8 Squier, Antiquities of New York, p. 331. 

9 Smithsonian Contributions, yoI. i, fig. 110, p. 217. 



Description of an Ancient Sepulchral Mound, 7 



was about five inches in its greatest diameter, six in height, and 
one-third of an inch in thickness. It was without ornament 
and rudely made of clay containing some sand and powdered 
quartz. It was filled with soft, black earth, the color being 
probably due to some animal or vegetable substance, which it 
contained when deposited in the grave. Fragments of a vase 
of similar material, but having the top ornamented, were found 
in another part of the mound. Neither of these vessels were 
superior, in any respect, to the pottery manufactured by the 
Indians. 

Near the bottom of the mound, and especially in the grave, 
were various animal bones, most of them in an excellent state 
of preservation. Many of these belonged to the common deer, 
and nearly all the hollow bones had been skillfully split open 
lengthwise, — probably for the purpose of extracting the mar- 
row, — a common custom among rude nations. Some of these 
remains of the deer indicated individuals of a size seldom at- 
tained by the species at the present time. Beside one of the 
skeletons in the grave, and evidently deposited with it, were 
several bones of the gray rabbit. This renders it not unlikely 
that the mound-builders used this animal for food, — a point of 
some interest, as the inhabitants of Europe in the stone age are 
supposed to have been prevented from eating the hare, by the 
same superstition that prevailed among the ancient Britons, and 
is still observed among the Laplanders. 10 

Some of the animal remains in the mound, although well 
preserved, were in too small fragments to admit of accurate de- 
termination. Characteristic specimens, however, w r ere obtained 
of those in the following list : 

Cervus Canadensis, Erxl., (elk). 

Cervus Virginianus, Bodd., (common deer). 

Ursus Arnericanus, Pallas, (black bear). 

Canis latrans ? Say, (prairie wolf). 

Lie-pus sylvaticus, Bach., (gray rabbit). 

Arctomys monax, Gm., (woodchuck). 

TJnio alatus, Say, (river mussel). 

It will be observed that these are all existing species, and, 
with one or two exceptions, are still' living in Ohio — a fact of 
some importance in its relation to the antiquity of the mounds. 
The discovery of these remains under such circumstances shows, 
moreover, that the mound-builders depended, to some extent, at 
least, on the chase for subsistence. If, however, they were a 
stationary # and agricultural people, as is generally supposed, we 
should expect to find, in the mounds, the remains of domestic, 
rather than of wild, animals, but none of these have yet been 
discovered. This may be owing to the fact that comparatively 



Lyell, Antiquity of Man, p. 24. London. 1863. 



8 Description of an Ancient Sepulchral Mound. 



little attention has hitherto been paid to the animal remains, 
and other objects of natural history found in the mounds, 
although a careful study of these would undoubtedly throw 
much light upon the mode of life of the mound-builders. 11 

The excellent state of preservation of the various skeletons 
in this mound is remarkable, and has probably never been 
equalled in the hundreds that have hitherto been examined. 
The remains of undoubted mound-builders have almost invari- 
ably been found so much decayed that it was impossible to re- 
cover a single bone entire. 12 The preservation in this case was 
doubtless due in part to the excessive compactness of the earth 
above the remains, but mainly to the fact that the mound stood 
on an elevation, where moisture could not accumulate. The 
skeletons in the lower part of the mound were not so well pre- 
served as those higher up, probably because the original soil of 
the ridge naturally retained, more moisture than the earth above 
it. There may have been, moreover, a considerable interval 
between the irregular burials, and those that followed, and thus 
some of the skeletons commenced to decay before the mound 
was completed. The interval, however, could not have been of 
very long duration, as no perceptible deposit of vegetable matter 
was formed over the small mound then existing. The same 
may be said of the intervals between the regular interments, 
and also of the subsequent period preceding the final completion 
of the mound. It should, perhaps, be remarked before proceed- 
ing further, that this mound had evidently never been disturbed 
by the Indians, and that all the human remains and other ob- 
jects found in it were undoubtedly deposited there by its builders. 
This will readily be admitted by every one familiar with the 
subject, as the last interment was at least seven feet below the 
surface, directly under the apex of the mound, and the white 
layers — infallible indications of regular burials of the mound- 
builders — all extended over the grave, and remained undis- 
turbed. 13 

The skeletons found in this mound were of medium si2e, 
somewhat smaller than the average of those of the Indians still 

11 The animal remains found near the Swiss lake habitations, show conclusively 
that the earliest inhabitants of those settlements were hunters, who subsisted 
chiefly on wild animals : at a later period, however, during the change to a pasto- 
ral state, domestic animals were gradually substituted as an article of food.— 
Rutimeyer, Fauna der Pfahlbaitten der Schweitz. Basel, 1861. 

12 Squier and Davis regard this fact as evidence of the great antiquity of the 
mounds*, as in England, where the moist climate is much less favorable for preserv- 
ing such remains, perfect skeletons of the ancient Britons have been found, although 
known to have been buried at least 1800 years. — Smithsonian Contributions, vol. i, 
p. 168. 

" It is well known that the modern Indians occasionally buried their dead in the 
mounds, but invariably near the surface ; the position of such remains, and espe- 
cially the manner of their interment clearly distinguish them from the original de- 
posits of the mound-builders. 



Description of an Ancient Sepulchral Mound. 9 

living in this county. The bones were certainly not stouter 
than those of Indians of the same size, although this has been 
regarded as a characteristic of the remains of the mound-build- 
ers. All the skulls in the mound were broken — in one instance 
apparently before burial — and most of them so much decayed 
that no attempt was made to preserve them. Two, however, 
were recovered with the more important parts but little injured. 
Both were of small size, and showed the vertical occiput, promi- 
nent vertex, and large interparietal diameter, so characteristic 
of crania belonging to the American race. In other respects 
there was nothing of special interest in their conformation. 
With a single exception, all the human teeth observed were 
perfectly sound. The teeth of all the adult skeletons were 
much worn, those of aged individuals usually to a remarkable 
degree. The manner in which these were worn away is pecu- 
liarly interesting, as it indicates that the mound -builders, like 
the ancient Egyptians, and the •Danes of the stone age, did not, 
in eating, use the incisive teeth for cutting, as modern nations 
do. This is evident from the fact that the worn incisors are all 
truncated in the same plane with the coronal surfaces of the 
molars, showing that the upper front teeth impinge directly on 
the summits of those below, instead of lapping over them. This 
peculiarity may be seen in the teeth of Egyptian mummies, as 
was first pointed out by Cuvier. 14 

All the bones in this mound, animal as well as human, were 
very light, and many of them exceedingly brittle. They adhere 
strongly to the tongue, but application of hydrochloric acid 
shows that they still retain a considerable portion of the carti- 
lage. Some of the more fragile bones, which showed a tendency 
to crumble on exposure to the air, were readily preserved by 
immersing them in spermaceti melted in boiling water, a new 
method, used by Prof. Lartet and other French paleontologists, 
and admirably adapted to such a purpose. 

There are several points connected with this mound which 
deserve especial notice, as they appear to throw some additional 
light upon the customs of the mound-builders, particularly their 
modes of burial, and funeral ceremonies. One of the most re- 
markable features in the mound was the large number of skele- 
tons it contained. With one or two exceptions, none of the 
burial mounds hitherto examined have contained more than a 
single skeleton which unquestionably belonged to the mound- 
builders, while in this instance parts of at least seventeen were 
exhumed. The number of small children represented among 
these remains is also worthy of notice, as it indicates for this 
particular case a rate of infant mortality (about thirty -three per 

14 Legons d'Anatomie comparee, tome ii, p. 106. Bruxelles, 1838. 
2 



10 Description of an Ancient Sepulchral Mound. 



cent) which is much higher than some have supposed ever ex- 
isted among rude nations. Another point of special interest in 
this mound is the evidence it affords that the regular method of 
burial among the mound-builders was sometimes omitted, and 
the remains interred in a hurried and careless manner. This 
was the case with eleven of the skeletons exhumed in the course 
of our explorations, a remarkable fact, which appears to be 
without a precedent in the experience of previous investigators. 
It should be mentioned in this connection that nearly all of 
these remains were those of women and children. Their hur- 
ried and careless burial might seem to indicate a want of respect 
on the part of their surviving friends, were there not ample evi- 
dence to prove that reverence for the dead was a prominent 
characteristic of the mound-builders. It is not unlikely that in 
this instance some unusual cause, such as pestilence or war, may 
have made a hasty interment necessary. The various imple- 
ments and remains of animals found with these skeletons also 
.deserve notice, as they far exceed in number and variety any 
hitherto discovered in a single mound. They prove, moreover, 
that, if in this instance the rites of regular burial were denied 
the departed, their supposed future wants were amply provided 
for. The contents of one part of the cist (which is itself a very 
unusual accompaniment of a mound) appears to indicate that 
the remains of those who died at a distance from home were 
collected for burial, sometimes long after death. The interest- 
ing discovery of weapons, which were found with these detached 
bones, would seem to imply that in this case the remains and 
weapons of a hunter or warrior of distinction, recovered after 
long exposure, had been buried together. 16 

The last three interments in this mound were performed with 
great care, as already stated, and in strict accordance with the 
usual custom of the mound-builders. The only point of par- 
ticular interest in regard to them is the connection which ap- 
pears to exist between some of the skeletons and the charred 
human bones found above them. Similar deposits of partially 
burned bones, supposed to be human, have in one or two in- 
stances been observed on the altars of sacrificial mounds, and 
occasionally in mounds devoted to sepulture, but their connec- 
tion with the human remains buried in the latter, if indeed any 
existed, appears to have been overlooked. Our explorations, 
which were very carefully and systematically conducted, clearly 
•demonstrated that in these instances the incremation had taken 
place directly over the tomb, and evidently before the regular 
interment was completed : taking these facts in connection with 
what the researches of other investigators have made known 

15 A similar custom still prevails among some tribes of western Indians. 



MB 1 0 & 



Description of an Ancient Sepulchral Mound. II 



concerning the superstitious rites of this mysterious people, it 
seems natural to conclude that in each of these cases a human 
victim was sacrificed as part of the funeral ceremonies, doubtless 
as a special tribute of respect to a person of distinction. 

All the skeletons in this mound, except one, appeared to have 
been buried in a horizontal position with the face upwards. 
The exception was the skeleton of the aged female found in the 
grave, which lay on its side ; but this may have been owing to 
the fact that the body had been bent together, perhaps in conse- 
quence of age. The skeletons which had received a regular in- 
terment all had their heads toward the east, but no such definite 
position has been noticed in the remains found in other mounds. 
As the grave had the same direction, this can hardly have been 
unintentional, although it may have been determined by the po- 
sition of the ridge upon which the mound stood. The layer of 
charcoal, not unfrequently found in sepulchral mounds, was 
wanting in this instance, as was also the evidence, usually 
afforded by the same substance, that the fire, which consumed 
the human remains, had been suddenly extinguished by a cov- 
ering of earth. Possibly the former, as well as other objects of 
interest, were contained in the outer portion of the mound, 
which was not examined, although usually everything deposited 
by the mound-builders was placed near the center ; and hence 
our explorations were chiefly confined to that part. 

Such is a brief and incomplete description of one of the an- 
cient mounds of the West, of which at least ten thousand are 
known to exist in the single state of Ohio, and countless num- 
bers elsewhere in the valleys of the Mississippi and its tributaries. 
These structures are the only remaining memorials of a race 
whose history has been buried with them, and from these alone 
-can we hope to learn who this people were, and whence they 
-came. The Indians of this county, although retaining no tradi- 
tion of this more ancient population, regarded their works with 
great veneration ; but the present possessors of the soil have, in 
general, little of this feeling, and hence hundreds of these monu- 
ments of the past are annually swept away by the plow, and their 
contents irretrievably lost. A few pioneers in American archae- 
ology have, indeed, rescued much that is valuable, but the work 
is hardly commenced ; and a careful and systematic investigation 
,of these various monuments would not only add greatly to our 
knowledge of this interesting people, but doubtless also help to 
solve the question of the antiquity of man on this continent, 
and, perhaps, that more important one of the unity of the hu- 
iman race. 

New Haven, Ct., Feb. 1866. 



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